Apparatus for subsequent drying of articles treated in a mangle



Dec. 15, 1964 G. l. HOLM 3,160,968

ARATUS F0 EQUENT DRY ARTICLES TREATED IN A MAN May 10, 1961 Filed INVENTOR GUNNAR. .ZT FREDHOLM Bjfihfihh Patented Dec. 15, 1964 United States PatentOfiFice 3,160,968 APPARATUS FOR SUBSEQUENT DRYlNG F ARTHILES TREATED INA MANQLE Guzman lvar Fredholm, For attarvagen 44, Brornma, Sweden Filed May 1961, SerxNe. 109,037 8 Claims. (Cl. 38-57) This invention concerns improvements in or relating to ironing machines or mangles of the well-known type comprising the combination of a heated bed, a superposed conveyor belt system for moving clothes over the bed, and one or more ironing rollers bearing on the bed. The bedis commonly shaped in serpentine form, with the ironingrollers riding in a series of parallel furrows set across the path along which the cloths travel over the bed.

The invention relates more particularly to apparatus for the subsequent drying of articles treated in a mangle of the above type, in which the rollers of the mangle are evacuated by means of a suction device.

It is an object of the invention to provide a heating chamber which receives evacuated warm air from the ironing rollers and which is adapted to serve as a heated support for the subsequent ironing and drying of the articles after the same leave the ironing rollers.

According to an embodiment of the invention a transport track is provided in conjunction with the heating chamber to receivethe articles fed from the last of the rollers and to in turn feed the articles to the upper side of the heater chamber.

The heatingchamber constitutes an economical arrangement whereby the drying path of the articles is lengthened. Heretofore it was deemed necessary to increase the number of ironing rollers and associated beds which is of considerably great expense.

It is therefore a significant advantage according to the invention to increase the drying path of the articles and thereby the capacity of the mangle without expensive alteration.

An embodiment in accordance with the present invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURES l and 2 show in a part sectional elevation a drier apparatus mounted on an ironing machine.

In the embodimentshownthe heated mangle is provided with three mangle rollers 1, 2, 3 each of which cooperates with its associated bed 4, 5, 6 respectively. The clothes which are to-be ironed or pressed are introduced by a beltconveyer 7to the rollers. The beds are interconnected so that they form a continuous track for the clothes. There is, for guiding the clothes between the rollers and the beds an endless belt 8-which passes between the rollers and'the clothes and, after the last roller 3, passes over a shaft 9 upwardly to the upper side of the roller 3 over a shaft 10 and forwardly, where the belt 8 passes through a tension device 11 in the vicinity of the first roller 1. The rollers 1, 2, 3 each have, in known manner, a perforated shell on which is provided a textile covering. The rollers are operatively connected by a suitable piping arrangement to suction means 20' which draws outside air into the rollers and through the piping arrangement as will be discussed more fully hereinafter. The bearing sleeves of the rollers 1 and 2 are connected to a common suction pipe 14 and the bearing sleeve of the roller 3 is connected to a suction pipe 15. The said suction pipes are connected to outlets 16 and 17, which are connected to a pair of downwardlydirected stub pipes 18 and 19, which in the embodiment shown are on the right hand side of the apparatus.

There is aheater chamber 20 above the mangle rollers 1, 2, 3. The pipes 18, 19 open into chamber 26. and the latter in turn is connected to the suction means 20" viav pipe 34 such that the air which is drawn through the shells of the rollers andwhich has been heated by the. associated heated beds passes through the chamber 20'so.

the rear part of the mangle forwardly to a position between the rollers 1 and 2. As a result of its position the heater chamber 20 absorbs heat both by radiation and convection from the rollers 1, 2, .3 in addi-- tion to the hot air supplied to the heater chamber by means of the suction device 20'.

Theheater chamber 20 is utilized according to the invention for the subsequent drying of the ironed articles...

An endless belt system is arranged to carry the ironed articles or fiatwork from the last mangle, roller 3 upwardly and along the upper wall 21 of the heater chamber 20 in the direction towards the roller 1 so that the fiatwork is maintained in contact with the wall 21. The

said belt systemcomprises a drive roller 22 and an endless belt 23, which catches the flatwork emerging I from the roller 3.

The heater chamber 20 includes a downwardly directed box-like table portion 24, against which the articles are pressed by the belt 23 after being delivered by the roller 3. The belt 23 runs forwardly along the wall 21 to a.

roller 25 at the front end of the mangle. The belt 23 passes upwardly at roller 25 and returns to therear end of the mangle, where the belt 23 at a location. above the 'mangle'roller 3 is supported by a roller 26 so that it is spaced from .the upwardly traveling part of the belt. The belt then passes downwardly around guide rollers 27 and 28 and back to the drive roller 22. Both the table 24 and Wall 21 are preferably arched in such a way that the belts 23 are able to hold the articles in firm contact with the heated surfaces of the heating chamber 20. Inorder to guide the articles around. the roller 25 at the front end. of the mangle, the said roller may cooperate with a cylindrical guide plate, which corresponds in shape to the front'surface of the roller. In the example shown, endless guide belt 30 is arranged at the roller 25.. The said belts run around-two rollers 31 and 32 and a guide roller 33. The guide belt may in known manner be provided with a tensioning device and be yieldingly' arranged. The roller 31 may be driven from the roller 25 by means of a chain wheel or pulley.

In order toobtain a uniform flow through the. heater chamber 20, the chamber maybe provided with a partition or guide walls, which distribute the hot air drawn in through the pipes 14 and 15 to different parts of the chamber. In the example a wall 35 is shown in the chamber 249, which divides the chamber into two sections, at front section which receives hot air from the two first rollers 1 and 2 and a rear section, which receives hot air from the last roller 3. In this or similar manner the supply of hot air to the wall 21 to heat said wall may be controlled in such a way that the best drying effect is obtained.

In order to render it possible to re-cover the rollers 1, 2, 3 with a new textile covering or to permit inspection of the rollers 1, 2, 3 the heater chamber 20 with the table 24, the belt 23 and the rollers for supporting and driving the belt 23 adapted to be swung upwardly as a unit about the shaft of the drive roller 28, as is shown in chain lines. Whenthe heater chamber is again swung downwardly into its operative position, the stub pipes In the. embodiment the said heater chamber 20 extends from 18 and 19 rest on the outlets 16 and 17 respectively, which support the front part of the drier apparatus and the heating chamber is brought into communication with pipe 34. It should be apparent from the above that the drier apparatus may be constructed as an additional assembly, which when needed can be fitted to a heated mangle.

By means of the apparatus according to the invention a fairly long drying path is obtained for the flatwork, and in certain cases a drier path corresponding to the path as far as the return roller 25 alone is sufficient, the fiatwork being here removed or collected. In this case it is convenient to extend the transport track over the roller 1, where it is connected to a collection transporter so that both the feed position and removal position of the articles is located at the front end of the machine.

I claim:

' 1. Apparatus for subsequently drying an article treated in an ironing machine, the latter being provided with a heated bed, a perforated ironing roller adapted for cooperating with the bed for pressing the article therebetween, suction means for creating suction within the roller to draw surrounding air thereinto, which air absorbs heat from the bed, mean for advancing the article between the roller and bed, a heating chamber in communication with the roller and the suction means for receiving heated air from the roller and means for transporting the article after the same passes between the roller and bed into contact with said heating chamber to provide subsequent heating of the article, said apparatus comprising: means providing communication between the interior of the roller and the heating chamber to permit flow of heated air to the chamber, the latter means constituting a detachable partial support for the chamber above the roller and providing communication between the interior of the roller and the chamber to permit flow of heated air to the chamber, the latter said means constituting a partial support for said chamber.

2. Apparatus for subsequently drying an article treated in an ironing machine, the latter being provided with a heated bed, a perforated ironing roller adapted for cooperating with the bed for pressing the article therebetween, suction means for creating suction within the roller to draw surrounding air thereinto, which air absorbs heat from the bed, means for advancing the article between the roller and bed, a heating chamber in communication with the roller and the suction means for receiving heated air from the roller and means for transporting the article after the same passes from between the roller and bed into contact with said heating chamber to provide subsequent heating of the article, said apparatus comprising: a pipe providing communication between the interior of the roller and the heating chamber to permit flow of heated air to the chamber, said pipe being detachably connected to the heating chamber to constitute a partial support therefor.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2 comprising a plurality of beds and rollers including the first said bed and roller, and means in said heating chamber to divide the same into a plurality of compartments, each of which is in communication with the interior of at least one of said rollers.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2 comprising a plurality of beds and rollers including the first said bed and roller, means in said heating chamber to divide the same into a plurality of compartments, and a plurality of pipes including the first said pipe providing communication between each compartment and at least one roller.

5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 4 further comprising means supporting the heating chamber and the means for transporting the article into contact with the heating chamber as a unit above the rollers for pivotal movement to provide access to the rollers.

6. Apparatus for subsequently drying an article which passes from an ironing machine, the latter being provided with a heated bed, a perforated roller located above the bed for cooperating with the bed for pressing the article therebetween, suction means for creating suction within the roller to draw surrounding air thereinto, which air absorbs heat from the bed, and means for advancing the article through the roller and bed, said apparatus comprising: a heating chamber located above the roller and in communication with the suction means and the interior of the roller for receiving heated air from the roller, and means for engaging the article as the same passes from the ironing machine for transporting the article along a path located above the roller and into cooperation with the heating chamber for subsequently heating the article after the same has passed from the roller and bed of the ironing machine.

7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 6 comprising means detachably supporting the heating chamber above the roller andestablishing communication between the interior of the roller and the heating chamber.

8. Apparatus as claimed in claim 7 wherein the means detachably supporting the heating chamber above the roller includes a pipe which establishes communication between the interior of the roller and the heating chamber for the transfer of heated air from the roller to the chamber.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,362,918 Batterson Dec. 21, 1920 1,976,383 Boal Oct. 9, 1934 2,156,712 West May 2, 1939 2,306,607 Horton Dec. 29, 1942 2,760,410 Gillis Aug. 28, 1956 2,950,540 Fleissner Aug. 30, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,219,508 France May 18, 1960 

1. APPARATUS FOR SUBSEQUENTLY DRYING AN ARTICLE TREATED IN AN IRONING MACHINE, THE LATTER BEING PROVIDED WITH A HEATED BED, A PERFORATED IRONING ROLLER ADAPTED FOR COOPERATING WITH THE BED FOR PRESSING THE ARTICLE THEREBETWEEN, SUCTION MEANS FOR CREATING SUCTION WITHIN THE ROLLER TO DRAW SURROUNDING AIR THEREINTO, WHICH AIR ABSORBS HEAT FROM THE BED, MEAN FOR ADVANCING THE ARTICLE BETWEEN THE ROLLER AND BED, A HEATING CHAMBER IN COMMUNICATION WITH THE ROLLER AND THE SUCTION MEANS FOR RECEIVING HEATED AIR FROM THE ROLLER AND MEANS FOR TRANSPORTING THE ARTICLE AFTER THE SAME PASSES BETWEEN THE ROLLER AND BED INTO CONTACT WITH SAID HEATING CHAMBER TO PROVIDE SUBSEQUENT HEATING OF THE ARTICLE, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING: MEANS PROVIDING COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE INTERIOR OF THE ROLLER AND THE HEATING CHAMBER TO PERMIT FLOW OF HEATED AIR TO THE CHAMBER, THE LATTER MEANS CONSTITUTING A DETACHABLE PARTIAL SUPPORT FOR THE CHAMBER ABOVE THE ROLLER AND PROVIDING COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE INTERIOR OF THE ROLLER AND THE CHAMBER TO PERMIT FLOW OF HEATED AIR TO THE CHAMBER, THE LATTER SAID MEANS CONSTITUTING A PARTIAL SUPPORT FOR SAID CHAMBER. 